The Princess That I've Always Known
by Canon's Son
Summary: Love. Like cheese it develops over time. Like candy first it's sour then it's sweet. Like a pillar, with enough foundation, nothing can knock it done.It causing you to travel over mountains, over seas. You protect them, you save them. You do it all. Just to make sure that the one you love knows that you do. But for these two, love is a journey. One that isn't in another castle.


_**A/N: I was feeling pretty Mario/Peach-ish today so I made this story to replace the similar one. The Italic part is...kind of my real life story. But it goes with this. Enjoy!**_

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_You move to her_

_You move towards a place you have never been, and while being excited, you feel as though you aren't going to see anyone or anything that will make you feel at home._

Mario sat in his new house, in a new place, in a brand new world. It warmed his heart that he and Luigi could finally find a place to stay after so many years. It made him happy. Happy to be here. The Mushroom Kingdom.

_You meet her_

_You don't expect anything from it. You meet a new friend, the usual, you never really see anything happening from then on. You aren't close with her, you just met. You talk to her often because you like her personality. She makes you laugh because you have something in common. It feels great to have a new friend._

"Hello!" She holds her hand out to me, waiting for me to return the gesture, with Luigi beside me. "I'm Princess Toadstool, but please call me Peach."

I smiled and shook her hand. "Mario Mario, of...well I guess your kingdom now huh?"

She giggles. "I guess so. It's very nice to meet you both."

"Nice to meet you too Princess." Luigi nodded,

"Same here." I smile as I started to feel even more happy. She seems like a nice ruler. Maybe...she could be more one day.

"Well, me and Luigi have to go and settle in. Maybe we could get together one day?" I asked hopefully.

She blinked then smiled. "I'd like that." She walked off from our house. So was really beautiful. Not only in appearance beautiful, but in heart. I could tell.

Luigi put his hand on my shoulder. "You know what bro? I think we're going to like it here."

I nodded. "So do I Luigi...so do I."

_You befriend her_

_You guys turn out to have more in common then you originally thought, and it makes you smile more then ever to see her happy. You talk to her everyday and share what your day was like. Although, she shows not to be very open with her opinions. You start to think you are just another one of her friends, no big deal. You feel like you are just one part of her day she just says hello to._

I saw her walk up to me while I was laying on a tree. Peach. "Mind if I join you?"

I shrugged. "Not at all."

She sat down next to me. We sat in silence, looking up at the clouds above us, she broke the silence. "...This is really peaceful. It's...nice."

"Yeah, I go here whenever I want to think you know? With the move and all, finding a job has been pretty stressful..."

She sat up. "You aren't having money problems are you?" She looked really worried. Is she like this with everyone?

"Nah, Luigi and I have enough saved for the next 3 months, its after then that I'm worried about."

"Hmm." She layed back down next to me. "What skills do you have?"

I froze. "...Define skill?"She turned to face me. "You know, things that you do that could help with a job."

"Right, that's what I thought it meant. I mean, I'm not really sure my "skills" would possibly get me a job." Even though I'm a doctor, referee, plumber, and many other things, I wanted to leave those things behind me now. For many reasons.

"Why not?" She looked at me curiously.

I stood up, then jumped onto the top of the tree. She sat up quickly, wide-eyed. Course you would be too if you just saw someone mega jump on top of a tree.

"..."

"Yeah I'm not sure tha-"

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" She grinned from ear to ear. She must have been impressed.

"Aw, well thanks!" I smiled cheekily. I jumped down from the tree and layed down, she following me.

"That is DEFINITELY a skill."

I shrugged. "I don't think there is any jobs that require that though..."

"Where did you learn to do that?"

I shuddered, thinking back to all of the bad memories with Pauline and...Donkey Kong... "...Let's just say that I had a reason for jumping all the time."

"Oh, well, its something to be proud of, that's for sure." Peach smiled at me. She got up. "Well, I have to leave for now. Same time tomorrow?"

I nodded. "For sure."

She walked off, I started to really like our talks. They really were about nothing, but we talked alot. It was always a nice thing. And from a nice girl.

_You argue with her_

_You guys find things that you don't agree on. Like which type of shows are the best, or how the plot is. You guys argue to the point where you think she gets mad at you and she refuses to speak to you. And you begin to worry, worry that you did something wrong. She then laughs and says that she is just kidding about being mad, and you laugh too. But then you begin to think about why you cared so much. Why did you care so much if she was mad or not? She is just one of your friends right? You shouldn't care that much. But then you realize you do care that much, and feel like its a little too much._

"PINK!"

"RED!"

"PINK!"

"RED!"

"PINK! It's more relaxing and make you feel safe and comfy." Peach said in her defense. We were arguing to see which color was better.

"RED is more awesome! Besides, who uses pink to color a car?" I rose an eyebrow.

"People with taste Mario. People with TASTE."

I shrugged. "Whatever that means, red still looks cooler."

She frowned. "But everything pink is great! Bubblegum, Stuffed animals, my dress..."

"Bad meat, poison, need I go on?" I smirked.

She stuck her tongue at me. "Better then blood, lava, and fire."

"Ah that's not fair!"

"Fair, Shair, Pink is better." She smirked.

"Oh really? Fine then, guess you won't like your present for your birthday then.'

She paused. "...Present?! What is it?!"

"Sorry, not until your birthday."

She threw her arms up. "MARIO! You can't just mention something and then NOT say it!"

I smirked. "Course I can. Makes it all the more fun."

She growled. "Mario you! You! UGH!" She turned away from me. Oh man, I hope I didn't screw anything up...

"Uh...listen if you really want to see it, it's a-"

I was cut off by her spinning around fast and grabbing me, pulling me in. She...was hugging me.

"Just wanted to make sure you would give it to me..."

I paused then smiled. "I think you'll like it."

She pulled away, much to my dismay. "I better, royal princesses only deserve the best of the best." She said sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes, she could always make me freak out. I stood up and bowed to her. "Yes your highness."

_You understand her_

_You talk to her about your problems one day, and she talks about hers. Granted it was with another one of your friends, and you just happened to be there, but she didn't mind you finding out about her past. Finding out why she is so tough and independent,, and finding out she has trust issues. You then begin to wonder if you are worthy of her trust. She never tells you that you aren't. but you still don't know. But you do know that you can trust her, forever hoping she can trust you._

"So I was thinking we could make the Chain chomp be placed here..." I was pointing at the circle area. Me and Peach were making plans for the Mario kart race, that so was so nice to name it after me. Although she didn't seem like her cheery self today.

"Yeah...sure Mario."

I looked at her with worry. "...Alright Peach, what's up? You're usually more vibrant then this..."

"It's just...Toadsworth has been extremely sick lately and I'm worried about him. The sickness is hard to treat and not many recover. The doctors say he's recovering but not as fast as they have hoped. That could be bad!"

I nodded. It was only normal she would be worried, he's like a father figure to her, and took care of her ever since her parents died.

"I mean, he's been around for as long as I could remember Mario! I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him. What if he turns worse? What if he..." She paused and looked like she was on the verge of tears. I hugged her to comfort her, I knew what type of worry see must be in, I've been in it myself before.

"Listen Peach, Toadsworth is a strong Toad, one who would do anything just to protect you. There's no way he'll leave you, not yet. Besides, he'll bounce back. He always does."

She looked at me with disbelief. "But...what if he doesn't?"

"Then..." I didn't know what ot say, it was a hard position for me. I didn't want to say anything that would hurt her, but I needed to comfort her. Then my doctor instincts kicked in and I knew what to do. "...Peach, I have the solution."

"A solution? You mean you can get him better?" Peach looked hopefully at me.

I nodded. "Perfect health."

She gave a confused look at me. "But...you're not a doctor..."

"Oh, did I not mention that?"

"No! Mario lets go!" Peach grabbed my hand and we ran to her castle. I knew Toadsworth was going to be perfectly fine once I got to him. And fine he was. He was breathing peacefully, fever was down, everything was back to normal with his body.

Peach was both astonished and surprised. "I can't believe that you had such a skill hidden!"

I shrugged. "It's more of a hobby then a skill."

She smiled and looked at the sleeping Toadsworth. "...Mario, THAT is no hobby. How come you never told me you could do this?"

"You never asked." I smirked at her.

She blinked and laughed. Which means she was FINALLY calm. "I guess i didn't. Thank you so much." She hugged me and I hugged back. It was...a nice feeling. A really nice feeling.

You protect her

You vow to it. Even though she says she doesn't want to be in debt to anyone and tells you not to protect her, you still do. You do it for reasons you yourself still can't fully understand. Why do you? Because you care for her well being. Because you want to make sure that everyday she breathes, that its the best day ever. And even though you know that may not happen sometimes, you try. You truly try. You want to make sure no one ever hurts this girl like in her past. Never again. It will kill you if it does. Even more if you are the cause.

"MARIO!" Peach called out to me from her cage above. Me versus Bowser, the giant turtle who kidnapped her. I ran over 8 worlds to be able to get to her. There was no way I was going to lose this battle. He touch her. He KIDNAPPED her. HE turned everyone into blocks. I have to save her.

I ran towards the end of the bridge, Bowser following and gaining speed. I was almost there. The adventure was almost over. I would finally save her.

Then, while I was running, I had my own battle on my mind...it was happening all over again. Saving a girl from a evil monster. Just like last time.

Why should I? The same thing will just happen again! She'll just leave me again. Just like...her. And I don't know why I spent so long just to save her. Why did I do this? Why did I go so far, and try so hard, when in the end, it doesn't even matter? She's just like any other...

...No...She wasn't like any other. Maybe she may do me wrong again, but she was not just a girl, she was THE girl. The girl whose smile could brighten up my day unlike anyone else. The girl who saw me as a friend, not just a tool. A girl was liked pink and sports and racing and even video games. A girl that I could talk to and would let me listen. A girl who was in every definition of the word, the perfect girl.

Maybe that's why I spent so much time traveling just to save her. It wasn't because I wanted something from her, I NEEDED her. Not just to save everyone, but for myself.

I ran and picked up the axe the made Bowser's bridge collapse. He fell into the lava below and I stopped to breath. I did it. I got her back.

_You feel strange around her_

_You uncontrollably smile whenever she walks into a room. You melt every time you she her smile. You tease her and she teases you back, and you love it. She tells you little information about her, and you write down every word. You freeze every rare occasion she hugs you. You feel powered just talking to her, making it easy to get through the day. And her laugh, her wonderful, wonderful laugh, makes you feel like you did something right. You don't know what these feelings mean. You think you're just sick or something. You go home and try to figure out these feelings. You don't know what's going on. But then..._

"Mario, you okay?" Peach asked as we sat under the tree we always sit under.

"Uh, yeah what do you mean?"

"I mean, ever since we got back from Bowser's kidnapping and saved everyone, you've been acting a little strange lately."

I looked at her. "Strange?"

"Well, for one thing, you're on the other side of the tree..."

Point.

"You turn red whenever you're near me..."

Two Points.

"You freeze when I hug you..."

From downtown.

"You've given me flowers everyday for the past two weeks."

Nothing wrong with that right?

"Not to mention Luigi says you can't stop talking about me!"

Dang it Luigi!

I walked over to the other side of the tree and sat next to her. "S-sorry, its just..."

"Look Mario, if you're hiding something from me, spit it out." She glared at me

"Problem? No! It's just that!"

Peach got up and started to walk away.

"W-Wait! Peach!"

"Until you get the courage to tell me, don't talk to me!" Peach marched off. I slumped back onto the tree.

"I-don't know..." I said to myself.

_You realize_

_You realize why you tries so hard everyday to make sure she is happy with you. You realize why you spend hours everyday just thinking about her. You realize why every time she gets mad at you, you try your hardest to fix it. You realize why you protect her from other guys, and prevent them from touching her. you realize why she is the highlight of your day, or make you smile even while doing nothing, or makes you melt when she smiles, or make you the happiest man in the world when she laughs/ You realize it, and you try to deny it. You try to deny it to avoid being hurt again, or to ruin your friendship that took a long route to get to its point._

"Luigi, I need help." I slumped in the chair I was sitting in. I had to figure out this Peach problem.

Luigi turned from his stove, which he was cooking from. "What is it bro?"

"I don't know man!" I threw my hands up in frustration. "I don't know what's wrong with me! I keep...freaking out when Peach is near me! My heart pumps like crazy, I feel like I have to puke when I talk to her. I just don't know..."

Luigi stopped cooking and turned off the stove. "Well, describe her to me."

I gave Luigi a look. "Describe her to you?"

"Yeah, tell me Mario, what is your opinion on Princess Peach?"

I paused. What was my opinion? I started to think really hard and then spoke my thoughts. "Well...she's nice and kind to everyone, me included. She's not selfish and even though she's rich, she only uses the money to help her citizens. I don't know Luigi, I guess she's just...amazing. She's so beautiful that my heart melts every time I she her. And her laugh? Her amazing, wonderful laugh. It just, makes my day you know? I just, feel right around her. Even though we sometimes fight, which is rarely, I can trust her. She's like the friend I've always wanted. And I don't know why I screwed it up! I gave her flowers cause I wanted to make her happy! I sat on the other side of the tree because I felt like I would puke on her is I sat next to her. I just...don't know what's up."

Luigi handed me a plate of spaghetti. "Seems to me that you're in love Mario."

I froze. "In love?!"

But you can't deny it.

Because you love her.

"No Luigi! Not again! Not after Pauline!"

Luigi sighed. "Look Mario, you're my brother alright? I've known you ever since we were kids. This isn't like Pauline. Pauline, was a crush. A crush and you know it. You two never tried to talk like you and Peach do. Pauline just used you to get famous, and Donkey Kong was in on it."

I slumped in my chair, knowing his words were true.

"I know you're afraid to be hurt again, but think about it. Would Peach REALLY be mad at you because of something bad, or because you aren't telling her what you've told me?"

I thought for a matter. "...She was more sad then mad..."

"Then instead of being afraid because of the past, why not get excited for the future?"

I perked up from my chair. Luigi was right, I can't let her get away from me. It's been a year since I've met her, and it's been the best years of my life. I can't ruin it because I realized it too late.

And then I did realize it.

I love her.

_You never thought it would ever happen to you, you never thought it would be this girl, but it is this girl. It's this girl that you try so hard to protect, because the idea of her being with any other guy completely kills you. And you vow to save her till the end. Because when you can finally build the courage to say I love you, you can reach someone to feel complete._

_You hide it_

_You are afraid of ultimate rejection. You realize you love her, but do nothing about it. What can you do? She doesn't love you back, you know that for a fact. But you want to be with her so much, it's hard for you to contain it. She is getting suspicious. You think that maybe you should tell her. Maybe she will feel the same way. Maybe not._

_You show it._

_You show it in everything you do. You talk to her, you laugh for her, you care about her. You make her a poem, and a song, but you never show it to her, scared of what she will think. But then you accidentally find out about what you wrote. About how much you love her eyes, her laugh, her in entirety. You turn the other way, scared to death that she will punch you, or run away, or give you the "I'm sorry" speech. But you swallow all of your courage and turn around. And you see something you never thought would happen._

_She stares at the poem, not saying a word._

_You freak out._

_"I'm sorry! You weren't supposed to see that! Don't hate me okay?!" She looks at you and you stop. You then notice something. She's smiling. And is that...tears? Certainly not. It couldn't be. A friend see's her reaction and looks at her and the poem. The friend then asks, "Are you about to cry?" She turns and says, "...maybe." She just looks at you and smiles, not saying a word. You look at her and wait for an opinion, unaware you got one._

I walked up to her, as I saw her sitting near the tree. I was ready to tell her. I just...didn't know what to say.

"Mario..." She stood up and walked over to me.

"Peach listen I.."

She put a finger on my mouth. "Don't worry Mario, I'll leave you alone..."  
Leave me alone? "What?"

She turned away from me. "I know I shouldn't have expected you to do what you did for me. You came all the way to Bowser just to save me, and I didn't even repay you. I must have been such a burden..."

I froze there, I didn't know what to say. Where was this coming from?

"I know I should have been more careful, I made you go through all of that trouble. You risked you life to save me, and how do I repay you? I tell you to leave me alone." She looked down at her feet. I saw tears fall from her eyes.

"Peach..."

"I don't deserve you. I never did. You did so much for me. And I can't repay you for the acts you've done. I don't know why I was being so selfish, but I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Because the truth is..." She looked up at me, pausing.

I couldn't believe it, she was apologizing when she did nothing wrong! I have to think of something.

"I-I..."

I did my first instinct. I kissed her. Not a kiss of lust, maybe not one of love, but one to say what I said after I pulled away. "Peach, you aren't a burden to me. You have done more for me then anyone has ever done. You've made me feel like I could live again. You make me happy, your smile, your beauty, everything. I wouldn't be living without you. And I mean that."

"..." She stood there silently.

"From the first day I met you, I knew that I would like it here. Not just because of the fact the it was a nice place, but because it was ruled by a nice ruler. And kind and amazing ruler. One I wanted to save. You were never a burden, I WANTED, no, NEEDED to save you. Because you saved me. I just re-payed the favor."

"Mario..."

"And that's why I'll kill repaying the favor until I die. I owe it to you. Because I love you. Everything about you. And for now and forever, I always will."

Peach started to cry, and I realized what just happened. I did it. I really just did it. The girl I've been waiting for was right here, and I just made sure she realized it. She looked into my eyes and I looked into hers, as we shared a kiss for a second time. This one filled with the love I've always craved, and she returned it. She pulled away and hugged me.

"Mario... I've waited so long to hear you say that...and I was much better to hear it and amazing that I felt it too."

I smiled. I had her.

The Princess That I've Always Known.

_You exit the room, still wondering her reaction, until she take you by the arm. Just looking ahead, not saying anything, but she takes you by the arm. You looked shocked, but then found out that she feels the same way. She really does. You tried and succeeded. And that it what you always need when it comes to love. The courage to try._

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_**A/N: Well, that's the story! The best? Eh, but I thought I did okay, I could have done a series but I had alot on my plate. I could do it if I have the right motivation though *nudge nudge*. Thanks for reading, and review pretty please?  
**_


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